Cessna 337 accident near Butler, Kentucky, December 17, 1984
On December 17, 1984 at about 11:51 pm local time, a Cessna 337, registered N53648, was destroyed in an accident near Butler, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 17, 1984 · about 11:51 pm local time
- Place
- Butler, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 337 · all 337s on the register
- Registration
- N53648 · no longer on the register · serial 337-01755
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT REPORTED REAR ENG FAILURE FOLLOWED BY FRONT ENGINE. EXAMINATION OF WRECKAGE DISCLOSED THAT FUEL WAS IN RIGHT FUEL SYSTEM, NO FUEL WAS LOCATED IN LEFT INBOARD SYSTEM. WATER WAS FOUND IN BOTH ENGINE FUEL FLOW DIVIDERS. IT WAS NOT DETERMINED IF THE PILOT OPERATED THE CROSSFEED POSITION THROUGHOUT THE FLIGHT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all; 900 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,327 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 17, 1984; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,630 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental I0-360-G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Leesburg VA at 9:10 pm
- Destination: Louisville KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from CVG, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.